Bazilika Navštívení Panny Marie na Svatém Kopečku is the Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary that sits on Olomouc's Svatý Kopeček (Holy Hill). It is a Baroque church built from 1669 to 1679.
In 1995, Pope John Paul II visited here and its status was elevated to that of minor basilica.
An Olomouc wine trader, by the name of Jan Andrysk, promised that if he ever became rich he would build a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. He did become rich but apparently he forgot about his promise.
The story goes that the Virgin Mary appeared to him in his dreams. One day he was stuck in a snowstorm and it calmed down as soon as he found himself at the top of the hill. He then realized that it was the same place he had seen in his dreams so he kept his promise and built the church on the very spot overlooking the town. There is a nice view overlooking Olomouc.
A few years ago, the basilica underwent three years of restoration work on the presbytery, dome and chapel.
